Sounds of Bufo canorus - Yosemite Toad
(=Anaxyrus canorus)
Amplexing toads and recently-laid eggs
Male toad in hole producing a release-type call
More pictures and information
Advertisement Calls The advertisement call of the Yosemite Toad is a long, rapid musical trill, repeated at frequent intervals. It is produced by a male to attract females during the breeding season and to warn other rival males of his presence. It seems to vary in pitch and speed among toads, and this might be due to temperature. |
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| This is a 7 second recording of a male toad calling in the afternoon from a snow-melt pool in a high-altitude wet meadow surrounded by snow at 9200 ft. elevation in Fresno County. The air temperature was 37 degrees, but the shallow water was over 60 degrees F. due to the sun. Pacific Treefrogs and water sounds are heard in the background. Thanks go out to Stephanie Weber, aquatic biologist and toad Muse, for helping me to get these recordings. |
This is a 20 second recording of two male toads (including the one in the video below on the left) calling in the same location described to the left. One toad calls, then the other. | ||
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| This is a 20 second video of a male calling from the location described above. | This is a short video of a male Yosemite Toad giving an advertisement call in Fresno County. © Julie Nelson |
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Release Calls A release call is produced by a male toad or an unreceptive female toad when a male toad or other animal gets on its back and grabs its sides in the position used for mating or amplexus. It's a toad's way of saying "Get off my back! Let go!" It is also used to call attention to a male's territory, and a male amplexing a female will produce the call when another male tries to interfere with the amplexus. |
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This is a low-quality 12 second recording of the release calls of a Yosemite Toad on land, recorded during daylight at a high-altitude meadow in Alpine County. Birds can be heard in the background. |
This is a 9 second recording of faint peeping sounds which sound like release calls produced by a male toad at the edge of a hole (see bottom picture to the left). It is possible that the toad was agitated by my presence, and made the release or encounter call to announce his presence and to warn me to go away. After producing the call, the toad backed into the hole to hide. A Pacific Treefrog and running water are heard in the background. |
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This is a short movie of a male toad amplexing a female toad in Fresno County. A release call, probably made by the female, can be heard as the frogs hop together. A female typically produces this call after she has already laid her eggs and wants the male to release her. © Julie Nelson |
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You can listen to more recordings of Yosemite Toads on AmphibiaWeb and on this cd: Carlos Davidson - Frog and Toad Calls of the Pacific Coast - Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology  |
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